Can't Stop the Sun from Setting
by tchelsaetehrock
Summary: It's been over a year since the fall of Itex, and the Flock is trying out normal life in Arizona. But when there is a freak "accident", will the Flock be split up....forever? FAXNESS! thats why it's rated T, duh my first fanfic, so be nice! Set after MR3
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own MR or any of her "flying, fun-loving cohorts", JP does. (damn you….jk :P)**

This is my first fanfic, so pweeeeeeeeeze be nice and write good reviews!! K? hopeful thumbs-up sign

**Max POV **(unless I say so otherwise)

**Prologue**

Time really seems to fly when you're not running for your life everyday, or trying desperately to protect the ones you love.

**--**

_I knew I was dreaming, but I just couldn't seem to wake myself up. I knew what was coming, I'd been having this dream for a couple weeks now, but I could never open my eyes before the agony struck._

_In my dream, I was walking along a dim hallway, in what looked like a hospital. I knew it was the middle of the night, because there were only a few lights on at intervals along the ceiling. I walked along the hallway, looking into the rooms as I passed. Everyone of them was empty, except one, about halfway down the length of the hall. I slowly walked toward the light coming from the doorway. I paused, just in front of the light, knowing what was coming, and dreading it. I walked slowly into the room._

_The Flock was situated around the room in various spots and poses, but their faces all wore the same tragic expression. Nudge and Angel were sitting close together, their arms wrapped around each other, their faces streaked with still-flowing tears. Iggy was sitting in one of the chairs in the room, staring into space, although his eyes were red and there were tear streaks on his face, too. Gazzy was also sitting in a chair, staring out the window through the blinds, his face wet and seemed to be permanently frozen in an expression of deep sadness. Moonlight streamed through the window onto the figure lying on the hospital bed. His eyes were closed, his face expressionless. He looked as if he was sleeping, but I knew right away he wasn't. His chest didn't move up and down with his breathing. His face somehow didn't look peaceful._

Fang.

_As I looked at Fang, lying there in the hospital bed, I knew he was dead._

_Agony ripped through me. I burst into tears, falling to my knees and wrapping my arms around myself. He couldn't be gone! He couldn't!! He was my best friend, I loved him with all my heart, he knew that, and he loved me._

_Tears poured from my eyes, as if they had no intention of stopping. Suddenly, I felt something inside me move, as light as a feather, just below my bellybutton..._

**!! Foreshadowing?? Me just messin' with your heads?? lolz**

**Review pweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze!!**

**Fly free!**

**-CelestiallWings**


	2. Chapter 1

**hey guys! i finally finished chappie 1 it took me what felt like forever! read and review pweeze! **

**p.s. i know it's not really interesting now but it will in da next chappie!**

**Disclaimer: JP owns them, not me, but this plot is MINE!!**

**Chapter 1**

My eyes flew open, and a gasp escaped my mouth. My face and hair was wet, and so was my pillow. Tears still flowed from my eyes, down my temples and through my hair. I rolled over and checked my clock. 3:00 am. I groaned to myself. I had been losing sleep to that stupid dream for almost two weeks now. I was honestly fed up with it now. I rolled back over onto my other side, trying to fall asleep again.

It had been over a year now since my miniflock and I had destroyed the evil company Itex. It had also been over a year since my Voice had spoken to me, for which I was extremely happy about. Oh. You don't have a Voice? I got mine on eBay, real cheap, for nothing except gigundo brain explosions that make you feel like your head's splitting in two.

Anyhoo, for the past year we've been living in a nice big house a few blocks down from my mom's house. My mother had insisted the Flock had at least _some_ formal education in a public school, and she had bribed us with chocolate chip cookies, so we conceded. Fang, Iggy, and I are all sophomores now, Nudge is in the eighth grade, Gazzy in the fifth, and Angel in third grade, although we all consider ourselves dumb enough to be in kindergarten. Iggy decided to join marching band, and now he can play drums like nobody's business. Fang also joined marching band because, as he put it, "to make sure Iggy doesn't blow the band up", but he tries not to show how much he enjoys playing drums. That boy's got some rhythm in him.

As for me, I decided to take up singing. Nudge and Angel had insisted I at least try out for the girls' choir, and plus they gave me Bambi eyes, so I did. To my surprise, I passed. Now I sometimes walked around the house humming our choir songs to myself.

After about another hour of dozing in and out of consciousness, I decided to go fly. I got out of bed and threw on a jacket and some shoes, still in my PJs. I tiptoed to the door that led to the balcony outside my room, and slipped out into the early morning. I closed the door and climbed onto the railing, balancing there and spreading my wings out. A slight breeze brushed my face and the feathers on my wings. I jumped lightly off the railing at the same time my wings surged downward, forcing my way up into the air. I flew over the trees that surrounded the house and flew east for a couple miles, enjoying the brisk morning air, and feeling my cheeks turn rosy from the chill. I landed at the top of a very tall oak tree just as the sun started to rise. As I watched the transition from night to day, I thought about my dream, and what it meant. Fang was still my bestest friend in the world, but things were still a little awkward between us sometimes, like when I would look at him, and he would look at me and smile, then I'd turn away, blushing. It was even more awkward when he was dating. He'd only had one girlfriend since we started school, and that hadn't lasted very long, thank God.

Yes, I love him. I'd finally realized that, but I don't know if I could ever admit it to him without running and hiding from embarrassment. Only Angel knew what I felt and I had ordered her not to tell anyone.

I don't know how long I sat there thinking, but the sun was up and blinding me, so I flew up and shot at super speed back to the house. My stomach growled as I landed gracefully on the balcony.

I changed out of my PJs into jeans and a t-shirt, knowing later that Nudge would talk nonstop about how we should go shopping and get all the girls makeovers. I absolutely refused to get a makeover, even if Nudge _and _Angel gave me Bambi eyes. I was getting better at refusing the dreaded Bambi eyes.

I walked into the hall and was greeted by the smell of bacon and eggs. My stomach gurgled loudly. I walked down the hall and down the stairs, following the enticing smell to the kitchen. Iggy was at the stove, scooping eggs out of a ginormous frying pan and into an also-ginormous bowl. Nudge was helping Iggy by putting the bacon on plates. Angel and Gazzy were at the table, staring intently at each other. Total was on the table between them, his eyes flicking back and forth. Gazzy's eyes started to water, and he blinked rapidly.

"Ha!" Angel exclaimed. "I win again."

"Rematch tomorrow," Gazzy said, frowning.

I walked over to the fridge and pulled out a big jug of juice and set it on the table, then gathered some cups. Iggy and Nudge set down the bacon and eggs and dug right in along with Angel, Gazzy, Total, and I.

"Someone go tell Mr. Emo-Boy he needs to wake up before he starves 'til lunch," I said through a mouthful of bacon.

"I'll go," said Total, finishing off his eggs.

He jumped off the chair and left the room. I noticed Angel look up at something behind me and giggle. I turned around, and saw nothing unusual, but then Fang suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his face inched from mine with a mischievous smile plastered on it. I jumped, literally, a foot out of my chair and landed with my butt on the floor. I looked up and glared at him just as Nudge, Iggy, Angel and Gazzy burst out laughing. Total trotted back into the room, obviously wondering why they were laughing and I was on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Fang scared the crap out of Max," Nudge said, giggling. "_Again_."

I got up from the floor and sat down at the table again. Fang's ability to blend in to his surroundings by not moving had evolved to allow him to be invisible whenever he wanted, and he took great pleasure in scaring the crap out of everyone in the Flock. Okay well, mostly me.

Fang sat down in the chair next to me and started filling his own plate.

"Max?" Nudge asked after a few seconds. "I was thinking…" _Oh great, here we go_, I thought. "Well, you know how when we were on the run and we always slept outside, and it kinda felt like camping? Well, we've never been _camping_ camping, so I was thinking we could, like, go to the Grand Canyon and spend the weekend there, but I don't know if you're allowed to camp there. Do you think-," Iggy clapped a hand over her mouth. I mentally thanked him.

"I don't know Nudge," I said. "That's a good idea, but what do you guys think?" I asked the Flock.

"I'm up for it," said Iggy.

"Me too," added Gazzy.

"Me three. But what about Total?" Angel asked.

"Not really up for it, what with it being _summer_ and the Grand Canyon being in the _desert_," Total said. "I'll stay and guard the house." But knowing Total, he'd probably be at my mom's house all day with Akila.

I turned to Fang. "So, what your vote?"

He shrugged. "Cool, I guess." Thank you for that heartwarming speech Mr. Man-of-many-words.

"Well then, I guess we're going camping," I declared. Nudge beamed at me. "And I guess we'll have to go shopping for camping stuff today," I said as I stood up and took my plate to the sink. I saw Angel and Nudge grin at each other.

I groaned internally at myself. Shopping meant going to the mall, and from previous knowledge, the camping supply store was right next to Macy's, which also meant Angel and Nudge dragging me through the store and trying to get me to try on everything in my size. I began to get suspicious that this was just a plan forged by the girls to go shopping and turn me into a living Barbie.

It was going to be one hellish day.

**Well there's chappie 1! chappie 2 should be up in a couple days at the most.**

**p.s. Please don't sue me Macy's for putting your name in my fanfic!**

**Fly free!**

**-C**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: grr...do you have to make me say it?? FINE! JP owns them!**

**I'm surprised I've had so many people add my story to their favorites and story alerts. Thanks you to everyone, I love you guys!! **

**Chapter 2**

I didn't know until we got to the mall that Nudge didn't want to go this weekend (today was Monday), she wanted to go in two weeks, because this weekend she and Angel were going to a sleepover.

"Why didn't you tell me this _before_ we left?" I asked her, mad.

"I don't know, guess it slipped my mind," she replied, but the way her face looked it definitely had _not_ slipped her mind

I frowned at her, and she smiled angelically at me.

We walked to the camping supply store and bought the necessities; medium-sized tents, coolers for food, rope, fire starters, mess kits, sticks to roast marshmallows and hotdogs on, a couple buckets, a lantern, some flashlights, a table cloth, and six sleeping bags, all thanks to my bottomless Maxcard.

As we walked passed Macy's, Nudge looked up at me.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" she asked, looking hopeful.

Knowing what would be said if I argued with her, I gave up without a fight. "Fine," I sighed.

Nudge's and Angel's faces lit up, and they ran into the store.

"You are such a pushover," I heard Fang say.

I ignored him. "You might as well shop, too. We might be here for a while," I said as we strode into the store.

Two hours and with 20-more-pounds-to-carry later, we finally left Macy's and flew away from the mall. As I had predicted earlier, Nudge and Angel had made me try on everything, literally, they could get their hands on that was my size. They had about 20 articles of clothing each they wanted to buy, all totally frilly and girly, and about 30 for me. But in the end, practicality had won, and they were only allowed 5 items. I had picked out two pairs of jeans and two shirts for myself. All the boys had bought a couple pairs of pants and a couple shirts each, God bless them.

I had noticed the guy at the checkout counter at Macy's give Fang and Iggy and appraising look. As we walked away, Angel had asked me, "Max? Do you think that guy at the cash register was gay?"

"I don't know," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because when he looked at Fang and Iggy, he thought 'Dang, those boys are _fine_," Angel explained. I laughed at her imitation of a girly guy's voice. I had seen Fang and Iggy blush out of the corner of my eye.

When we got back to the house, Nudge and Angel asked if they could go swimming with the new swimsuits they bought, and Gazzy chimed in, too. I said okay and they rushed off to go change. It was convenient the house had a pool in the backyard that was surrounded by trees, so we didn't have to hide our wings.

On my way to the backyard I stopped in the kitchen to grab some soda and an apple, then walked out onto the patio and sat down in one of the chairs, far away enough from the pool that I wouldn't get splashed when Gazzy did a flying dive-bomb.

After a couple minutes Angel, Nudge and Gazzy ran out of the house and did cannonballs into the pool. Fang came out with his laptop and sat down in a chair next to me, and opened it, checking his blog again. Even after a year since the fall of Itex, fans were still hanging on his every word. Iggy also came out in his swimtrunks and jumped into the pool, but got out after a few minutes, shook his hair out, and sat down in the chair on the other side of me from Fang, staring up at the sky. Well, not staring, just positioning his face that way.

I ate my apple as I watched Angel, the Gasman and Nudge play Marco Polo. Nudge was it, and as she said, "Marco," Gazzy let it loose in the pool, making the water bubble profusely. Nudge pounced on him, and I laughed. The laugh turned to a yawn.

"You awake sleepyhead?" Fang teased.

"Yes, I just haven't been getting enough sleep," I retorted.

"Why?" he encouraged.

I shrugged. "Bad dreams," I said, watching Gazzy do a flying dive-bomb.

"About?"

I shrugged again. Like I would ever tell him.

He didn't say anything. I watched the younger ones play in the pool for a few more minutes, then I guessed I started dozing, because the next thing I was aware of was that Iggy was holding my feet and Fang was holding my hands and they were carrying me between them to the edge of the pool. I struggled a little, but they flung me into the water, _with_ clothes on. When I surfaced, I glared at Fang and Iggy, who were both laughing as they looked down at me. Well, Fang looked, Iggy just laughed. I heard Angel, Gazzy and Nudge laughing behind me.

"What the hell did you do that for?" I yelled at Fang.

He shrugged, but was still chuckling in that in that sexy way of hi- Whoa, stop right there! I told myself. Using my superstrong legs, I jumped out of the ater and grabbed the front of his shirt, and pulled him into the water with me. At this, Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy laughed even harder. When Fang resurfaced, he glared at me, but I just smiled. Iggy jumped in next to us, sending water splashing all over us. I splashed him back, and the rest of the afternoon was spent fighting in splashing wars. Eventually we decided it was time for dinner, mainly because Nudge was whining about being hungry, so we dried off and went inside. After eating the fabulous enchiladas my mother had taught Iggy to make, I told the Flock to go take showers _before_ the house permanently smelled like wet bird-kid and chlorine. There were three bathrooms in the house with showers, so two of the Flock shared a bathroom. Nudge and Angel shared one, Gazzy and Iggy, and Fang and I. Don't ask me how Fang and me had to share a bathroom, I'm not exactly sure how _that_ decision was made.

Fang took a shower first, and I was waiting outside the door when he came out in nothing but a towel. I looked at his muscular chest and arms, blushing and hurrying into the bathroom as he looked at me with curious eyes. I noticed the bathroom smelled like men's bodywash, and I that I liked that smell. I took a nice, long 20 minute shower. I sang to myself a little lullaby I had made up for Nudge and Angel when we were younger and living at the house in Colorado. I got out and dressed, running my fingers through my hair. I left the bathroom, and when I walked down the hallway, I heard humming coming from Fang's room. I stopped and listened. It sounded like the tune to the lullaby I was singing in the shower.

Huh. Fang actually had a very pleasant singing voice. Nice and deep, but not too deep. I listened a few more seconds, and then his door opened. He came out and saw me standing there, probably wondering why I was there outside his room.

"You can sing really good, you know," I told him.

He looked at me like he had just been caught committing a crime, but I smiled and he blushed, looking away. He shrugged.

"I guess," he muttered.

Knowing I might regret it later, I walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. He looked at me in surprise, then I turned away and walked down the stairs and to the living room where the rest of the Flock was watching TV. My lips tingled from when I kissed him on the cheek.

Nope, I would not regret that.

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**Don't worry there will be more Faxness in the next chappie!! And more action in later chappies so be patient my lovely readers!**

**Fly free!**

**-C**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: yada yada yada...okay to the story now!! **

**(a/n) I own Cameron in this chappie, and also the plot so NO STEALING OR I SHALL SICK MY WEINER DOG ON YOU!! (jk, don't have a dog :P)**

**Chapter 3**

The week following the shopping trip was uneventful. We visited my mother's house on Wednesday, resulting in us nearly exploding because of how many chocolate chip cookies we ate. That same day, my mom made the HUGE mistake of putting beans in her casserole. I don't think I need to get any more detailed, but let's just say our noses will be free of hair for about a month, and my mother's house now need to be fumigated. Ella, of course, was ecstatic to see us.

"Oh my gosh, it's been forever!" she squealed as she hugged me.

"It's been three days, Ella," I informed her.

"Yeah, but it _feels_ like forever!" she replied, letting me go. She then proceeded to give everyone in the Flock a hug, even Total. That girl must have something wrong with her brain which makes her want to hug someone every time she sees them.

I yawned.

"You tired?" my mom asked coming up behind me.

"A little," I said. "But give me some cookies, and I'll be good to go for the rest of the night." I smiled at her, and she smiled in that warm, motherly way that makes you want to hug her.

The next day, Iggy and Gazzy got into a fight about what they should name their latest explosive invention. Pretty stupid thing to get into a fight over in my opinion, but they're boys, so you can't help it. Nudge and Angel spent Thursday and Friday picking out what they wanted to take to the sleepover at Nudge's friend Cameron's house. On Friday, Iggy and Gazzy informed me they were attending an all-day and all-night movie special at the movie theatre the next day. Something with zombies and blood and guts, I don't know. But I told them that if they wet their beds the next night from nightmares, I wasn't gonna clean it up. I realized a little while later that it would just be me and Fang, alone in the house. I blushed fiercly when I realized this, and unfortunately it was in the middle of dinner, and the whole Flock looked at me curiously.

"It's nothing," I told them quickly. "It's just a little hot in here," I said, pulling on my shirt collar for added effect. They went back to eating, except Angel and, of course, Fang. Angel looked at me and giggled, but then went back to eating. Fang expression on his face showed me he knew I was lying. I stuck my tongue out at him.

On Saturday, I dropped off Nudge and Angel at the Cameron's house, then Iggy and Gazzy at the movie theatre. I was surprised to see Ella in front of the theatre with a group of her friends. When she saw Iggy and the Gasman, she rushed over and hugged them. Yep, there is something definitely wrong with that girl.

When I got back to the house, there was a note on the fridge.

_Max,_

_Went to the library. Be back in a couple hours._

_Fang_

I took the note off the fridge and threw it away. I cleaned my room, since it resembled a neglected pigsty, then, since I hadn't been sleeping well, I took a nap.

Unfortunately, I had the nightmare again as I napped, only the nightmare was different. I was standing next to a dry streambed in a small ravine, Fang standing across from me. Suddenly, there was a loud crack from above me and I looked up. The rocks above me were braking loose from the sides of the ravine and were gong to crush me. I closed my eyes. I felt something push me back and I stumbled a few feet behind where I had been standing. When I opened my eyes, I was fine and totally unscathed. I looked down. Fang was lying on the ground, unconscious, but his legs and lower back were twisted in ways they should not be twisted. One of the rocks that had broken loose above me was lying next to him. I screamed, and tears started forming in my eyes. I closed them so I wouldn't have to see Fang lying there, broken and possibly dead.

"Max? Max!" I heard his voice from far away. I opened my eyes and remembered I had fallen asleep on the couch. Fang was sitting next to me, holding my shoulders. I looked at his worried face. I started crying.

"Oh, Fang!" I exclaimed as I threw my arms around his neck.

"Max? What's wrong?" he asked, obviously still worried. His arms wrapped around me, holding me to his chest. I let my head rest on his shoulder.

"Nothing," I said, trying to regain my composure. "Just another bad dream." I sniffled.

He pulled me away from him so he could look at me. His eyes narrowed.

"Max, bad dreams are waking up and being scared the boogyman's under your bed, not screaming and crying and kicking," he said. "Now tell me, what's wrong Max?" He stared deep into my eyes, his hands on my shoulders. I bit my lip, then sighed. Fang was the only one in the Flock to whom I could openly tell my problems to. Of course, I told Angel, but that's because she can read minds. So I told him about the hospital dream, and then the new one from my nap. His eyes widened.

"Is that why you've been crying in your sleep?" he asked, his eyes still wide. I looked up at him in alarm. I hadn't told him that.

He read my expression. "Max, I can hear you crying. Supersonic hearing, remember?" he smirked.

I frowned, then sighed again.

"Yes, that's why I've been crying in my sleep," I admitted. I looked down at my hands.

He was silent for a minute. "Why?"

I bit my lip again, debating in my head. Should I tell him how I feel? But what if he doesn't feel the same way? What would I do? What if he just didn't say anything? I knew I could run away and hide 'til the rest of the Flock came home. Just jump over the couch, around the corner and out the back door...

I told myself to quit being such a baby. The great Maximum Ride doesn't run away!

His hand came under my chin and he lifted my face up to meet his gaze.

"Please?" he asked softly, his hand still cupping my chin and his eyes pleading.

I lifted my hand to his

"Fang, I-" my voice got caught in my throat. I tried again. "Fang, I don't know what I'd do without you. You've always been there for me-" I didn't mention the Ari incident "-and you're my best friend. Every time I try to imagina my life without you, I can't, 'cause it hurts too much just to try. And when you date other girls, that hurts too." I took a deep breath, taking his hand away from my chin and looking down. He was staring at me with bewildered eyes. "If you don't feel the same way, I undetst-" his hand covered my mouth. I looked up at him. He smiled the most brilliant smile, and world seemed to turn brighter.

"Oh, Max," he whispered, still smiling. He hugged mt to him again, and I rested my head on his chest this time.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that?" he asked. I smiled. But my heart was tight. What if he was just playing me?

"I don't know, you tell me," I muttered.

"Too long," he replied.

He pulled me away from him again, but this time he leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. I loved every millisecond of it. He pulled back and looked at in me in a way that made my bones turn to jelly.

"I love you," he whispered, and my heart seemed to inflate, fly, and melt, all at the same time. I put my hands on either side of his face, pulling it back to mine. I kissed him for a while, then pulled away and whispered, "I love you, too." He smiled even more brilliantly, then his hands grasped me face, then tangled in my hair, and he kissed me passionately. I lost all train of thought. It seemed like forever before we broke apart to breathe. His lips trailed down my neck, and I tugged at his shirt, not even realizing what my hands were doing until he pulled it of himself, his beautiful dark wings unfurling. I kissed him, my arms locked around his neck, his arms around my waist.

This kiss seemed to go on...and on...each of us losing clothing at random moments...

And me loving every minute of it.

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-**squee!!- XDDDD**

**okay, so should the next chappie still be in max POV or fang POV?**

**Fly free!**

**-C**


	5. Chapter 4

**(a/n) Greetings my lovely reader friends! Sorry it took a few days, I had UBER writer's block, and plus I had a bunch of stuff goin on over the weekend, so thank you for bearing with me!**

**Disclaimer: I wish I could own them, but, sadly, I wasn't born as James Patterson. -shakes fist at sky-**

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**Chapter 4**

**Fang POV**

It had been just a normal day that had turned into one of the best days of my life. No, strike that, it was the best day of my life. Better than the day we escaped from the School with that traitor Jeb. When I came home to find Max crying and screaming on the couch, fear and panic shot through me. I had rushed over to her and woke her up. I comforted her, and she admitted the nightmares she had been having, and I was surprised that they were about me. I asked her why, and she told me. I was bewildered and happy at the same time. I kissed her, then I said, "I love you." For the first time, not counting the time on the cheek, she kissed me, then, as if I could get any more happy, she said, "I love you, too." I smiled, then kissed her passionately, and things sorta went from there...

All I can say is, yep, that was the best day of my life.

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**(a/n) Okay so, to those of you who answered my question from the previous chapter, it was a tie between Fang and Max, so I did a short Fang POV, and the rest is Max. On with the story!...**

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**Max POV**

All I can say is….wow. A really crappy afternoon had turned into the most amazing night of my life.

When I woke up the next morning, I realized I was lying on Fang's bed. I felt my face turn red when I realized I wasn't alone. I was laying on my side, and Fang's arm was draped over me. I turned my head just enough to see Fang still asleep, with a slight smile on his lips. I smiled, then gently shifted his arm so I could get up. I kissed the tip of his nose before I left the room to change. I went down to the kitchen to attempt to cook breakfast. I decided to make toast so as not to set anything on fire if I used the stove. I ended up burning four out of the seven pieces of toast. Fang walked into the room wearing a black t-shirt (of course) and black shorts just as I was sitting down.

"I thought I smelled smoke," he said, joking.

"Haha, very funny," I said as I took a bite of toast.

"I think I have a new ability," he said suddenly. I looked up at him as he was pouring cereal into a large mixing bowl.

"Really?" I asked, curiosity sparked. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure," he said as he sat down next to me. "I think I can sense human life," he continued.

I stared at him. "How?" I asked, still dumbfounded.

He looked up at me. "Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can see points of light where people are standing. Like right now"-he closed his eyes-"there's a little point of light where you're sitting." He opened his eyes and smiled at me. I was still staring at him like an idiot, dumbstruck by this new development.

I glanced at the clock.

"Whoops! Better go get Nudge and Angel," I said, finishing my last piece of toast and taking my plate to the sink.

"Bye," I said walking past him. He grabbed my hand and drew me toward him, pecking me on the lips softly. I smiled, and he smiled, too, making the world spin a little faster.

A thought occurred to me as I went to pick up and Angel and Nudge. _Oh shoot_, I thought. Actually that's not what I thought, just replace shoot with another word. Anyways, I forgot about Angel's ability to read minds. I tried to fill my head with random thoughts as I arrived at Cameron's house. When Nudge and Angel came out, Nudge started to babble about the sleepover and how much fun they'd had…etc. Angel looked at me curiously, obviously reading my mind. I had filled my head with the song Nine in the Afternoon by Panic at the Disco, but she shrugged to herself. I sighed with relief internally.

Later, Iggy and the Gasman flew back home from the movie theatre. Gazzy was pale and looked terrified that something was going to jump out and eat him. Iggy's sightless eyes darted back and forth nervously, and I must admit it was sorta funny. They jumped at the slightest noise, and that night, Gazzy did have nightmares, but I'm happy to say his sheets made it through the night dry. Iggy, on the other hand…well let's say he blushed the deepest red I'd ever seen him blush, and made us swear on our lives we would never speak of it again.

The week after the "incident between me and Fang" as I called it, Fang and I spent more time together than we ever had. Whenever was Angel was around us, though, I tried to think of other things so she wouldn't get suspicious.

As it turned out, the weekend Nudge wanted to go camping, it rained. Like, really hard.

"I blame global warming," Total grumbled as he watched the rain fall. I smiled.

Another week passed with the occasional visits from my mom and Ella. Oh, and, of course, the gorging of ourselves with cookies. Ella seemed to notice the difference between me and Fang.

"Max?" she asked me, as we sat in my room watching a movie. "Are you and Fang, like, together now?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled. I blushed.

"I guess you could say that," I said. She smiled wider at me, and I smiled back. I heard a giggle inside my head, and my smile faded.

_Angel!_ I thought, getting angry.

_Oops!_ she thought back. She giggled again.

_Is Nudge with you?_ I demanded.

_No!_ she exclaimed. I knew she was lying.

_You two are in such big trouble!_ I frowned at Ella.

"Did you plan this?" I asked her.

"Yep!" she smiled even wider. I rolled my eyes.

Nudge came in the room then, and bombarded me with questions. I forced her to shut up before I could answer any of her questions, thank God.

The next day we all packed for our camping trip, and I made sure we had enough food that would, for a normal group of kids, last them for two weeks, instead of just three days. We left later that night, so no one would notice a bunch of kids with wings flying around the Grand Canyon loaded with a bunch of camping gear.

And so our camping trip began.

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**Okay, personally, I think that's a crappy chappie. (hey that rhymed!) It will get better I promise!!**

**Fly free!**

**-C**


	6. Chapter 5

**hey all my reader people!! how long has it been since i updated? i honestly don't remember. probably a week, but thank you for being patient!**

**Disclaimer: ...yeah.**

**Chapter 5**

"Yo, watch where you wave that thing!" I yelled at Iggy, who had nearly skewered me with a red hot metal stick with four hotdogs on it.

"I hate to break it to you Max, but I'm blind," Iggy said. "Therefore, I can't see your proximity to my hotdog roasting stick," he concluded. I threw a rock at him and it hit his shoulder.

"Ouch!" he said as he rubbed his "sore" shoulder. Oh please, it was a freakin small rock!

We had decided to camp out in a remote spot in the canyon, far away from any tourists or adventure hikers. We hitched up our tents next to a small stream in a little ravine so we wouldn't get baked alive by the sun. There were three tents; Gazzy and Iggy in one, Nudge and Angel in another, then, of course, me and Fang in the smallest tent. _How did we get the smallest tent for heaven's sake?_ I ask you. At least I wasn't freezing cold at night.

As of now, we were roasting hotdogs for dinner and watching the sky grow dark and stars start to pop out of the velvety blackness of the sky. I finished my fourth hotdog and laid down on my back, my hands under my head, and stared up at the sky.

Nudge was talking to Angel about different kinds of ice cream, and Iggy and Gazzy were discussing something in low voices. Probably something about a bomb. I heard rocks shift and someone lay down beside me. I turned my head, and saw it was Fang. I smiled, and he smiled in response. I took one of my hands from under my head and grabbed one of his. His fingers tightened around mine. I turned my face back to the sky, and watched as a star shot across the sky. And then another.

"Wow," Fang breathed.

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling. I squeezed his fingers.

"Awww," Iggy said from across the fire. Fang scowled at him, and Nudge and Angel giggled.

"Shut up," I said glaring at him, which was a wasted effort. I shifted my gaze back to the sky.

We laid there until the moon was halfway into the sky and the fire burned low. I noticed the atmosphere was eerily calm, like the hours before a storm, but I shrugged it off. The Flock separated into our tents. I snuggled into my sleeping bag, but I was still a little chilly. I shivered, then Fang's arm wrapped around me. I scooted closer to him, then kissed him softly on the lips.

"Thanks," I sighed.

"No problem," he whispered.

I was smiling as I drifted into unconsciousness…

**Okay, so is that last piece of dialogue from New Moon? if it is, please don't sue me Stephenie for plagiarizing!**

The next thing I was aware of was that I was wet. Like totally soaked through wet, and I was becoming more wet, if that was possible. I sat up quickly, and Fang sat up a second later.

"Wha'? What's wrong?" he said groggily. I didn't answer, but got out of my sleeping bag and stepped out of the tent. Into mud.

"Crap," I muttered. "Fang! Get the others. We're gonna find a cave and camp out in there. This rain's comin' down hard," I told him, then I went to gather the food and supplies. Fang got the rest of the Flock up, and we quickly packed up our stiff as it continued to pour. Why was it raining like this in the desert? Don't ask me, I'm not the weather person on the news.

We relocated to a fairly decent sized cave in the side of the ravine about 700 yards from our original site. We got as far as getting out clothes and tents into the cave, but when Fang, Iggy, and I went to get the coolers of food, we saw them get washed down the stream that had now become a small river.

"Crap!" I said. "Stupid flash flooding!" Iggy and Fang hovered near me; Fang had a frustrated expression on his face. I knew we shouldn't be flying when it was raining this hard, so we got our soaked bird-kid butts back to the cave.

"Sorry guys, the food's gone," I said to the younger ones as I landed in the cave entrance.

"What?" Nudge exclaimed. "The food's gone?! That sucks! I don't wanna starve to death! I'd rather eat desert rat! No, strike that. I'd rather starve, 'cause desert rat is really nasty. I don't think there's any rat around here anyway. Is there? I didn't see anmph-" Gazzy put a hand over her mouth, bless him.

"No, Nudge, we're not gonna eat desert rat. I'm going to try and go get us some food when the rain let's up a bit," I said, trying to be leaderly.

"I'll go with you," Fang added.

"'Kay," I said as I sat down, waiting for the rain to get lighter. I watched Nudge, Angel and Gazzy play cards for the next half hour. The rain finally turned to a drizzle.

"'Kay guys, we'll be back soon," I called to them as me and Fang took off into the rain.

"Which way, o fearless leader?" Fang asked a couple minutes later.

My internal compass told me to head northeast. I don't have any idea how it knew where food was, but I was just glad it did.

"This way," I said, angling my wings just a tad.

I figured we had about a couple hours before it really started pouring again, so I sped up, but just enough so Fang could keep up. We made it to a small grocery store, and bought as much food as we could carry, then flew back the way we'd come. I had this odd feeling inside me that kept growing. It was the feeling that something bad was going to happen. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"Max?" Fang called to me.

"Yeah?" I replied.

"Do you have that feeling, too?" he asked. I swear, sometimes he can read my mind.

I nodded. "Yeah, I don't like it," I said, scowling into the rain. My eyes narrowed, and I did a quick 360. My whole body suddenly went cold, then a fierce stabbing pain punched through my brain. I dropped the groceries, and choked on a scream. My wings fell limp, and I began to fall towards the ground, and also into an inviting darkness…

* * *

**OOO!! Cliffie!! I is so evil!! :) -evil laughter-**

**Fly free! **

**-C**


	7. Chapter 6

**I'm so so soooooooooo sorry!! I haven't posted in 2 weeks, and I'm sooooo sorry! I finally had time to write since football season ended. Shoutout to my lovely guard girls! Luv ya! pEaCe!!**

**Disclaimer:** **Jimmy owns them, and I really hope they're making a movie, and that it won't suck like Eragon**

**Chapter 6**

I was vaguely aware that I was soaking wet, but surprisingly comfortable and warm. But this was almost completely canceled out due to the fact that my brain had probably just exploded. I felt tears fall from my eyes, and I realized I was crying. Something brushed my face to wipe the tears away.

"Max? Max, wake up. Please, wake up," I heard a voice say just above my head. It sounded like Fang. _Oh, poop_, I somehow managed to think through the pain. Then I realized why I was warm and comfortable. I was sitting on Fang's lap and he had his arms around me, my head on his chest. I also realized that the pain was starting to numb. I hiccupped.

"Max?" he asked again. I groaned in response.

"Oh, thank god!" Fang said, then his arms tightened around me. By now the pain was almost completely gone from my head. I honestly didn't care that I was soaking wet and a little pissed off, I was just glad my brain hadn't exploded. I forced my eyes open and looked up at Fang. His face had the most worried expression I've ever seen. I smiled weakly. He smiled a little, but his eyes still showed worry.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What was that?" he continued.

I shrugged. "I don't know," I croaked, then cleared my throat. "I think it was a brain explosion."

"Like when you first got the Voice?" he continued to probe. I shrugged again.

"Maybe," I said. I shifted to get out of his lap, then scooted to sit next to him.

"So, what happened?" I asked him.

"Well, for one you almost gave me a heart attack," he started. I smiled sheepishly. "It looked like you were choking, so I flew over to help you, then you dropped the food and started falling. I dropped what I was holding and caught you about six feet from the ground. That's when you started crying," he finished. He took my hand and squeezed it a little.

"My hero," I said sarcastically. He grinned. I smiled, then sighed dramatically.

"I guess we have to go back to the store, _again_," I said, the stood up, pulling Fang with me. I still had a little headache, but not a it-feels-like-a-mountain-is-crushing-your-skull-to-a-pulp headache. I stepped out from under the little overhang of rock we were under in a little ravine. Somehow, it was still raining. I mean, seriously, how is that _possible_ in the Grand Canyon?! Whatever. I unfurled my wings and so did Fang. I let go of his hand, then took a step.

**Hello, Maximum.**

I collapsed, holding my head in my hands. The pain wasn't as bad as last time, but it still hurt _a lot_.

**Miss me?** my Voice asked.

_What the hell are you doing here?_ I screamed in my head.

The Voice was silent. Wow, didn't see that coming.

"Max!" I felt Fang's hands on my face, and I looked up. He was very worried, probably about what the hospital bill would be for me to get an MRI.

"Are you okay?" he asked for the second time today. I shook my head.

"Voice," I stated simply. He understood instantly. His eyes widened slightly.

"That can't be good," he said. I shook my head again to agree with him.

Suddenly, I had that feeling that everything was about to get _a lot_ worse.

Ever had the feeling?

* * *

"Iggy?" Nudge called from further inside the cave. Iggy grunted in response.

"When do you think Max and Fang will be back? I'm starving! I mean, seriously, I think I could eat a whale, I'm so hungry. But whales are pretty big, so maybe not a _whole_ whale. What do whales taste like? Do they taste like whale? Or fish? Or something else? I don't like fish that much, it tastes weir-"

"Nudge," Iggy interrupted her babbling. She smiled apologetically.

"I don't know when Max and Fang will be back, so you'll have to settle with eating either bugs or dirt to satisfy your hunger," Iggy said, and he turned his back to the cave and listened as the rain continued to fall. Nudge giggled, knowing he was kidding.

_Where are you guys?_ he kept wondering.

_**Don't worry, Ig**_, Angel said in his mind. _**I can hear their minds. They're about 10 miles east of here.**_

_Thanks, Angel,_ Iggy thought back. She sent him a mental picture of her with a big goofy smile on her face, then went back to playing poker with Gazzy and Nudge. They were using rocks as chips, and Angel was, of course, winning.

All was quiet for a few more minutes, except for the rain outside. Then, suddenly, Angel dropped the cards and rocks she was holding, and her blue eyes widened. Iggy heard the patter as the cards and rocks hit the stone floor, and launched himself to the back of the cave.

"Angel? What's wrong?" Iggy asked her. She shook her head slowly.

"Max," she said in a monotone.

"What about Max?" Iggy asked, getting more worried.

"Voice," she said in the same monotone.

Iggy's sightless eyes widened, and so did the Gasman's and Nudge's.

"Crap," Iggy finally said. Angel nodded. Then Iggy's ears pricked, and he heard a strange low, muffled buzzing sound, coming from far away but getting closer with every second. The ground started to tremble underneath them, then it really started shaking.

"Go!" Iggy shouted to the Flock, and they sprinted for the cave entrance. They stopped just as they heard the crash of rocks behind them, and they all turned to see (well, not Iggy) a gigantic hole in the back of the cave, and crawling out of the hole were dozens of ugly, robotic-looking bugs with what appeared to be a drill for their noses. Nudge's, Gazzy's, and Angel's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Iggy just stood there.

"What's going on? What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"Bugs," Gazzy answered. Nudge grabbed Iggy's hand, and they started backing up.

"What kind of bugs?" Iggy asked warily.

"Robots," Gazzy said, simply.

By now the bugs had stopped moving forward, and were just sitting there, and occasionally twitching what looked like dragonfly wings.

"U and A, on three," Iggy whispered. "One, two, three!" They all snapped their wings out and launched into the air in less than two seconds, but danger followed them, literally. The bugs gathered in a swarm and shot after the bird kids into the rain.

Gazzy looked behind him and saw the swarm of robo-bugs following them, and they were catching up. Fast.

* * *

It was quiet for about two seconds.

**Max? I hate to bug you, but you need to get out of there**, the Voice said, with surprising urgency. I decided to take up the warning. I looked up at Fang.

"We need to get out of here," I repeated what the Voice said.

"Why?" he asked, then the air was filled with an odd buzzing sound. The ground seemed to vibrate with it. Fang and I stared at each other with wide eyes, then there was an explosion in the ground about 25 feet to the left of us. A large hole was now in the dry earth, and out of the hole shot hundreds of nasty-looking bugs with oddly-shaped noses. The sound their wings as they flew had a metallic edge to it.

_More robots,_ I thought. _Great. And ugly little things, too._

I looked at Fang briefly. He had a horrified expression on his face. He never liked bugs that much, and this was one of his worst nightmares. And his new ability wouldn't help much, since these things weren't even partially human.

The Bugs, as I now declared them, made a high-pitch screeching noise, gathered in a swarm, and flew straight at us.

* * *

**Yayz! Another cliffie!!! ^^**

**Fly free through clouds of cotton candy! (omg that rhymes!)**

**-C**


	8. Author's note

**My dear readers,**

**Don't you just hate it when your computer goes all psycho on you? Well mine did yesterday, and frankly, I am pissed. I can't even get onto a word document it's so screwed up! So I apologize that I won't be able to post any more chapters for this story until maybe next week. I'm actually not sure exactly when I will be able to, so please bear with me! You're probably wondering how I am writing this note when my computer is messed up and is about to be thrown against the wall by yours truly. I am on my mother's computer, which, since I am going to my dad's house this week, I won't be able to access, and I am NOT using my dad's computer.**

**So if you hate me for another week, I don't care. I will write more chapters, and I will post them as soon as my computer is fixed. **

**Love,**

**xXCelestiallWingsXx**

**(Stupid Zango...I should sue them)**


	9. Chapter 7

**Yay! My computer is fixed! Actually it's been fixed for a few days now, but I was still writing this chapter so that's why I didn't post. Even though I didn't have internet for only 2 days, I was suffering withdrawl. Haha.**

**Anyhoo, I went to see _Twilight_ at midnight on Thursday, and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyone who waited to see it on Friday night or earlier still has a shred of sanity, but I am proud to say I saw it at midnight. And the best part was I only got two and a half hours of sleep that night! Yeah that was alot of fun, 'cuz I had to go to school the next day. I LOVE EDWARD CULLEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**Enough of my babbling, on with the story....**

**Disclaimer: When will the next book freakin come out?! Come on Jimmy! We're WAITING! Don't you, like, poop out at least 5 books a year!?**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 7

**Max POV**

I instinctively launched into the air, and so did Fang. The Bugs attacked us head-on, and we had barely any time to react. I started throwing punches and kicks at random, while Fang tried to use more precise moves. I soon figured out that if you grabbed one by the back end you could hold on to it long enough to pull off its wings. Fang saw what I was doing and copied me. But when we dropped them, they burrowed into the dirt when they hit the ground. We pulled the wings off of about fifty of them, but there seemed to be more coming out of nowhere. Soon we were engulfed in a swarm so thick we couldn't see each other. We couldn't hear each other either over the shrieking the Bugs were making. The little Bugs scratched my skin and tore and my hair and tugged painfully on the feathers of my wings.

"Max!" I heard Fang call through the swarm.

"Fang!" I screamed in reply.

By now the cloud of Bugs was so thick they were actually supporting my weight, so I tucked my wings in so the stupid Bugs wouldn't hurt them. I still punched and kicked and ripped the wings off the little pests, but their numbers never seemed to go down. Suddenly the Bugs seemed to disappear, and since I wasn't flapping my wings to stay aloft, I fell from about 10 feet and landed with an "Oof!" followed by an "Ouch!" I looked up and saw the Bugs shooting back into the hole they had come out of. I heard Fang land on the ground next to me, and turned to see him sitting up and rubbing his neck. His face was covered with scratches.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He nodded and looked at me.

"Are you?" he asked.

"Yeah." I stood up and walked to the edge of the hole. I peeked cautiously into the blackness. It seemed to go on for miles. Fang came up behind me and looked into the hole, too. Nothing suddenly popped out of the darkness and attacked us, a plus.

It was still raining though, and the water turned the dirt around the edge of the hole into mud, so I backed up so I didn't fall in. Fang followed my example.

"What _were_ those?" he asked.

"Really annoying," I replied. He smiled at my bad joke.

**You still need to get out of there, Max**. Oh, goody.

_Why?_

**Doesn't this place remind you of something?**

I looked around at the small ravine we were standing in. Déjà vu slapped me in the face. My eyes widened.

"Max?" Fang asked, sounding concerned.

"We need to leave. Now," I said hurriedly. He saw the panic in my eyes. Before he could say anything, though, the walls around us began shaking. I looked up and saw our little friends fly out of a huge crack they had made in the wall of rock. Large boulders started falling around us. I saw one smaller boulder, but still quite big, fall from the wall and fall towards me. I was too paralyzed with panic and fear that I didn't move. Time seemed to slow down, and I looked back to Fang, who was watching in horror as the rock fell toward me. He saw my face, eyes wide, and I mouthed the word, "No". I closed my eyes as Fang launched toward me as he shouted, "Max!" I felt his weight push me back about six feet, and heard a sickening crunch. My eyes snapped open. Fang was sprawled on the ground, underneath the rock that had almost crushed me.

"FANG!" I screamed.

I started sobbing, and rushed over to get the rock of off him. I pushed and pushed, but it wouldn't move. I cursed, then tried again, grinding my teeth and using all my strength. I gave one final heave, and the rock rolled off of him. I knelt down and held his face in my hands.

"No, no, no, no…" I murmured over and over again. I checked his pulse. Oh, thank god! His heart was still beating, but only small flutters. My tears landed on his face, and I wiped them away.

_Angel_, I thought. _Where are you?_

**Angel POV**

I looked back and saw those bug thingies flying after us. They were shrieking and it made my ears hurt really bad. And they were getting really close to Gazzy, who was in the back of the group.

"Alright guys!" I heard Iggy shout. "Let's show 'em what we're made of!"

He swiveled in midair and flew straight at the swarm. Nudge, Gazzy, and I followed his example. We hit the wall of bugs head on, and we were soon covered in scratches and bruises. All of us were punching and kicking randomly, but that didn't slow the bugs down.

_I wish Max were here_, I thought as I kicked a bug's nose through its head.

"Hey guys!" Nudge shouted through the shrieking. "Pull their wings off! It works a lot better than kicking!"

I grabbed the nearest bug and ripped the wings off the stupid thing and let it fall. I grabbed bugs out of the air around me and pulled their wings off in less than 2 seconds.

_Angel! Drop 50 feet in the next 10 seconds!_ Iggy shouted in my head. I quickly pulled the wings off the bug I has holding and tucked in my wings. Iggy somehow alerted the others, and we flew out of the cloud of bugs as fast as we could.

_**BOOM!**_

_Wow, that was a really big bomb. Where was he hiding it?_ I wondered. I turned around just as bug body parts rained down on us.

"Ew!" Nudge squealed in disgust. I giggled, Gazzy cackled, and Iggy grinned.

The bomb had blown up more than half of the bugs, and now they seemed ticked off. Once again, they shrieked and flew at us faster than they had before. I saw Iggy and Nudge tense to fight, and I tensed, too, my hands curling into fists.

Suddenly, the bugs stopped in midair, flipped around, and flew in the opposite direction. Huh, that was weird.

"Wow, that was weird." Nudge had vocalized my thoughts. (Even though I'm only six, yes, I do know what vocalize means.)

"Yeah, it was," Gazzy agreed.

_**FANG!**_

That was Max's voice! I gasped.

"Angel?" Iggy flew over to me.

"What's wrong?" His voice was worried. I stared up at him.

"Max and Fang," I said bleakly.

"What about them? What happened?" he asked. Gazzy and Nudge had flown over and both of them had worried expressions on their faces.

I didn't answer him, I was too busy watching what Max was seeing through her eyes. I saw Fang lying on the ground, his legs and lower back looked like they were crushed and bent at odd angles…

Max looked up, and I knew where they were. Without bothering to answer Iggy's question, I flew off toward where Max was. I heard the others following me.

_Angel? Where are you?_ I heard Max think.

_**Don't worry Max!**_ I thought back to her. _**We're coming now!**_

_Angel? Oh, thank god!_ She sounded relieved and worried at the same time. _Can you find us okay?_

_**Yeah, we'll be there soon.**_ I thought for a second, then asked, _**Max? Will Fang be okay?**_

She was quiet for a second.

_I don't know, sweetie._

* * *

**Hmm, would this count as a cliffie? -muahahaha!-**

**Fly free!**

**-C**


	10. Chapter 8

**Me: Please?**

**Iggy: No.**

**Me: **_**Pleeeeeeeeeease?**_

**Iggy: **_**NO.**_

**Me: I'll give you anything you want!**

**Iggy: Anything I want? Hmm… -ponders briefly- Aha!! –smiles wickedly-**

**Me: (Uh-oh) What?**

**Iggy: You have to give me a super-mega-mucho jar of sour gummy worms…**

**Me: And?**

**Iggy: A year supply of foot massages.**

**Me: (groan) Fine! –forks over gummy worms-**

**Iggy: (imitating Mr. Burns) Excellent. Now, where's that foot lotion?...**

**Me: (ew) Now do it.**

**Iggy: Fine! CelestiallWings does not own Maximum Ride.**

**Me: Thank you**

**Iggy: -holds up foot lotion bottle- Now get to it.**

**Me: Ugh.**

* * *

**Max POV**

I sat there in the downpour, cradling Fang's head in my arms and praying to every divine power that might exist that he was going to live. I was glad he was unconscious so he wouldn't feel the immense pain he _would_ feel if he was awake.

Twenty seconds later I looked up and saw my flock streak through the rain and land with a _splat_ as their sneakers hit the mud. All of their eyes widened-except Iggy's- and they rushed over to me squatting in the mud.

"Oh, my God," Nudge whispered. She started crying softly and knelt down next to me.

"Iggy," I said, a panic edge to my voice. He knelt down next to me and ran his fingertips along Fang's legs and back, as light as a feather. Gazzy and Angel stood next to me, both looking really young and scared.

"Oh, man," Iggy muttered, worry creeping into his tone. "This is _really_ bad. We need to get him to a hospital. _Now_."

"How?" Sheer panic was now evident in my tone.

"First we need to brace his legs somehow," Iggy replied. I looked around helplessly, and noticed a small, dead tree about fifty feet away lying on its side.

"Angel, Gazzy, go rip off some branches from that tree," I said. They immediately sprinted to the tree and swiftly tore two long branches from the trunk. Next to me, Nudge took off her jacket and began ripping it into strips. Angel and Gazzy returned and gave the branches to Iggy, who began tying them to Fang's legs to brace them. While all this was happening, I was planning how to move Fang, gently stroking his face while I thought. Since we didn't have the access to a stretcher or even a flat piece of wood to carry him on, this was going to be tricky. Not to mention the fact that we all became almost paralyzed with fear when we were in a hospital.

Iggy finished bracing Fang's legs, and the younger ones looked at me with tear-filled eyes.

"Okay, Iggy, you and me will carry Fang between us. Nudge, Gazzy and Angel, keep on the lookout for a hospital or a clinic," I said, trying to keep my voice calm and even. They all nodded solemnly. Gazzy and Angel launched into the air, but Nudge stayed on the ground and looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"Max?" she asked timidly. "Will he be okay?"

Her big brown eyes were trusting and tear-filled. I decided lying wasn't the best thing to do right now, even though it pained me to tell the truth.

"I don't know," I said grimly.

She nodded glumly, then threw herself into the air. I felt so bad for no giving her at least a glimmer of hope. But what if her hope was squashed painfully later? No, don't even think about that possible future. Fang was going to live. My optimism was sour.

Iggy gently lifted Fang's legs into his arms, while I cradled Fang's torso and head. We couldn't do a running takeoff carrying Fang, so we bunched our leg muscles and jumped straight into the air using all our strength, while at the same time surging downward with our wings. We finally managed to make it to where the others were waiting, and turned west-northwest. Everyone was silent, even Nudge. It wasn't a calm silence, it was more of a silence created by tension and anxiety. It had finally, _finally_ stopped raining, so we were able to fly without trouble.

I looked down at Fang and tears formed in my eyes. He looked so vulnerable, so helpless right now. What would I do without him? I wasn't sure what I would do, but whatever I did I was sure I would be miserable.

I looked at Fang's tanned face, at his hair blowing in the breeze. If Fang and I ever had children, I hoped they looked like him. I looked up and saw Angel watching me. I tried to smile, but the smile fell flat. She smiled a sympathetic smile that made me want to curl up in a ball and cry my eyes out.

"There!" Gazzy's voice carried over the wind. I quickly looked down and spotted the hospital immediately, probably because of the giant red cross painted on the helipad.

"Okay!" I shouted, then I angled my wings downward, and Iggy followed my lead. Within seconds we were on the ground and tucking our wings in. Iggy and I laid Fang carefully on the ground face down so we could tuck his wings in. We all winced as we heard the slight grinding of the bones in Fang's legs moving against each other. We had to get him inside fast, or his bones could start healing and set wrong. Nudge and the Gasman headed toward the ER doors as Iggy and I lifted Fang into our arms again. Angel stood close by in case we needed help. She stared at my with sad eyes as I grunted, hoisting Fang up.

_He'll be okay_, I kept telling myself. I prayed that I wasn't telling myself what I wanted to hear.

We ran as swiftly as we could across the parking lot and through the hospital doors into the waiting area. Nudge and Gazzy were at the counter talking to the nurse there, but they wheeled around when we burst through the doors. The woman's eyes widened as she took in Fang's limp and crippled form and our distraught, muddy, and somewhat tear-streaked faces. She picked up her phone and spoke into the receiver.

"I need medical personnel in the waiting area _now_," she said quickly. Nudge and Angel smiled thankfully at her.

"Max," Iggy whispered.

"What?"

"Are you sure we can trust them?" Iggy's eyebrows came together.

"I don't know, but we need to if we want Fang to live," I said, sighing.

Two seconds later four nurses came through the other set of doors pushing a gurney. They rushed over to us and carefully took Fang from us and laid him on the mattress. We watched in silence, then started to follow them, but one of the nurses stopped me in my tracks.

"Miss? Are you the young man's girlfriend?" he asked politely.

"Yes," I blurted without thinking. Well, I was, wasn't I? I peeked over his shoulder and watched Fang being rolled away quickly down they hallway, then the doors behind him closed.

"Could you tell me what happened and who those other children are?" the man asked again. I carefully searched his face, seeing if he had a feral gleam in his eye, or if he seemed demented like most whitecoats. I didn't see anything.

"The younger ones are his adopted brother and sisters. He's friends with the tall one, my brother." Wow creative. "We were outside babysitting his little brother and sister. He climbed up in a tree to hide from them, but he must have slipped because he fell, and he hit his back on some other braches, too." Even though it was a lie, tears blurred my vision as I remembered Fang being crushed by that stupid rock.

His mouth opened to ask me another question, but a nurse burst through the doors behind him. He turned around.

"Tom, they need you back there _now_," she said hurredly, then turned and went back through the doors again. The nurse turned back to me.

"Wait here, please," he said, then he went through the doors behind him. Like I could do anything else beside kick his ass. Should I follow him? I decided not to. The best thing to do right now was not create trouble, especially with Fang in his condition. I wondered if they noticed the wings yet.

Oh, crap. That's probably what they called the guy back there for. I looked at Angel, and she nodded. I groaned internally. Great, now we have to deal with the questioning and the getting on my nerves and anxiety about our secrecy yada yada. But Fang really needed help, so we just had to suck it up and _beg_ the doctors not to call the FBI. Or just get Angel to control their minds. Probably the second one.

I looked around at my flock sitting in the waiting area. Nudge was flipping through a magazine without any interest. Gazzy was watching the small TV without any interest either, and Iggy was staring off into space with his sightless eyes. I could see pain in them, and I felt so sorry for him. Angel came up to me and took my hand and squeezed it. I smiled sadly down at her, but she just stared up at me with an expression that made her seem 10 years older. Because she knew Fang was up a creek without a paddle. And without a boat either. In rapids.

I sighed. Great.

* * *

**Okay I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry for not posting for almost a month!! I had mega-super-ultra-uber-Jupiter-sized writer's block. They need to create a medication for that for authors, journalists, and fanfictioners. They could make a fortune! **

**I PROMISE to post the next chapter before or on Christmas! I swear on my stuffed moose's antlers. Not kidding.**

**Warning: The next chapter will be REALLY long! Just a heads up.**

**Fly free!**

**-C**


	11. Chapter 9

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! HAPPY HANUKKAH!!! JOYOUS KWANZAA!!! HAPPY BOXING DAY EVE!!!!! HAPPY RAMADAN!!!! and any holidays I forgot!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Max or the Flock. I wish I owned Santa cuz then he could give me a ton of presents! But sadly I don't own him either.**

**Claimer: I DO own a new fuzzy bathrobe and Jeff Dunham's Arguing with Myself. PEANUT ROX!!**

**On with the story!!!!!!...**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The doors swung open again, and a man in a white coat and scrubs strode toward me. Instinctively I went into fight mode and my hands clenched into fists.

_He's okay, Max_, Angel said in my mind. I glanced down at her, and she nodded. I took a deep breath, then exhaled.

The doctor came up to me.

"Miss? Could I ask you some questions about your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Boyfriend?" Iggy snickered, I nodded to the doctor, flicked Iggy on the head, then tapped the back of his hand to say, _You're in charge_.

I followed the doctor through the doors into the hallway. At the end of the hallway there was a small room the size of, like, a closet, and he led me in there. There were a couple chairs and a sidetable with magazines on it.

"Please, sit," he said politely. I just stared at him. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Okay then," he said. "So we've noticed there's something odd about the anatomy of your boyfriend-"

"Nick," I interrupted him.

"Yes, Nick. Do you know anything about it?" he asked.

I sighed. Here we go.

"Yes. What do you need to know?"

"Well, we've noticed that he has wings, and that his body functions and bones are slightly different. We need more information if we're going to set his bones right." He looked at me hopefully.

"You need to be more careful setting his bones because they're porous and lighter than regular bones. Please, don't even ask about the wings," I practically begged him.

_Angel, if you can, please make sure they don't call the FBI_, I thought.

_Okay_, she replied.

I watched as the doctor got a confused look on his face, and I almost smirked, but he blinked and shook his head.

"Okay, thank you-"

"Max."

"Thank you, Max," he said.

"So what's wrong with him?" I asked warily.

"Both of his legs are broken in several places, and his pelvis and a couple vertebrae and cracked in a few places," he said. His face softened. "I'm sorry, but there's only a 30 percent chance of him surviving, and if he does, he'll either be paralyzed, or need intensive physical therapy."

My heart sank to the floor. He saw my face fall, and reached over and patted my shoulder. I almost cringed away, but I needed some comfort.

The Invincible Maximum Ride was being comforted by a stranger in a white coat. What was this world coming to?!

The doctor checked his watch.

"We're going to take him into surgery to try to fuse the bones together and set them. Is there anything else I should know?" he asked.

"Yes, he heals faster than normal, so you'll have to work faster," I informed him. I bit my lip.

"Thank you, Max," he said, smiling slightly. "And don't worry, we have a team of highly trained surgeons here. Everything should go smoothly."

Like that was going to make me feel better.

"Okay," I said, my voice marred by worry.

He smiled again, then led me from the room to the waiting area.

"Don't worry, Max," he said again, then the door closed behind him.

I walked over to where my flock was sitting and sat down in an empty chair a few feet from them. I saw them looking at me from the corner of my eye, but I ignored them.

And so the waiting began.

After an hour of sitting and staring at nothing, I paced the waiting area. Soon I got bored and sat down again, but couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Relax, Max," Gazzy said. I glanced at him, and he came over and sat next to me and took my hand. I squeezed his small fingers and he smiled slightly.

"Hey, Max," Nudge said. "Can I have some money for snacks?"

I pulled some money out of my pocket and handed it to her.

Another hour passed, but still nobody came through the doors with the news that Fang was going to recover and we could all go home and take showers.

_Another_ passed, and I was about to run back there, grab Fang, punch a few people, then burst out of there in an overly dramatic way.

But what would happen to Fang? That plan was out.

"Max?" Iggy asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are we going to call your mom? Or Jeb?"

Crap, I hadn't thought about calling mom.

"No," I decided. "I don't want her to worry."

"Okay," Iggy nodded.

I heard the doors open behind us, and the whole flock got up and whirled around to face whoever it was. A woman in scrubs spotted me and walked over to us.

"Max?" she asked.

"Yes," I said curtly.

"Will you come with me please?" She gestured to the doors. I nodded, and the flock started to follow me. I turned to them.

"Stay here," I told them.

"No, Max," Nudge said. I scowled at her, but she just gazed back at me. I sighed.

"Fine."

"Max?" the nurse said. We followed her through the doors and through several hallways. The antiseptic smell made my stomach clench, and the fact that there was a bunch of people in white coats walking around. I shuddered.

The nurse led us down another hallway, past a bunch of rooms that were unoccupied. Something prickled at my memory. I'd think about it later.

She finally stopped outside a room and gestured for us to go inside.

As we entered the room, all of our eyes fell on the person lying in the bed.

Fang was lying there, unconscious, with tubes in his nose for oxygen, and he had an IV in his left arm. Under the blanket his legs were bulky from the casts on them, and there was a weird metal thing wrapped around his hips. A machine next to his bed was beeping in time with his heartbeats quietly. The beeping was slow and shallow. The whole picture made my stomach tighten and mu heart hurt.

The flock gazed at him solemnly, and went to sit down on the sofa by the window.

"Max? May I speak to you?" the nurse asked. She gestured outside the room. I walked out and stood by the doorway.

"Max, I'm so sorry but something went wrong during surgery," she said.

My stomach plummeted.

"What?" I asked sharply.

"We discovered that some of the bones in his legs were shattered beyond repair. We managed to set the rest of the bones before he healed too quickly. But the damage to his spine was irreversible. I'm afraid if he recovers the best state he'll be in is paralyzed." She watched for my reactions with a sad look in her eyes.

My mind was reeling, and I felt like I was about to throw up.

Paralyzed? Oh, god. If he was paralyzed, he wouldn't be able to fly, his beautiful dark wings would be reduced to feathery limbs. He would be devastated. _I _was already devastated.

"Wait," I said, realizing something. "_If_ he recovers?"

"He also suffered massive head trauma in the areas of the brain that control mobility and bodily functions. His systems are slowly shutting down, but we're trying to figure out a way to stop it," she explained.

I was speechless. All that from a stupid _rock_? Anger boiled inside me, but I kept my face smooth.

"I'm so sorry, Max," the woman said with feeling.

I was still speechless, so I just nodded.

"By the way, my name's Carmen," she said. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Okay," I said, my voice empty. I walked back into Fang's room and saw the flock looking at me. Angel's eyes were filled with tears.

_Tell them in their minds_, I told her. _I…don't feel like talking_.

I felt more like crawling into a deep hole, curling up, and crying until I died. But I couldn't, I needed to stay strong.

That was beginning to get really tough for me lately.

I dragged one of the faux leather chairs over from the corner next to Fang's bed, sat down, and gently picked up the hand that didn't have an IV. I squeezed his fingers.

Angel came up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I hugged her close with one arm. We didn't say anything, because we didn't need to.

She reached over and grabbed a couple of Fang's fingers and squeezed them.

"Are you getting anything from him?" I asked her softly.

She nodded. "A little. Mostly it's just shapes and colors. I think it's all the morphine they gave him." She paused.

"And there's something else," she said, concentrating.

"What?" I asked her.

"There's this weird darkness he's seeing, but there's, like, light he's seeing, too. They look like little stars, and some of them are moving."

My heart sped up. Was that the new ability Fang was talking about?

"Hmm," was all I said.

Nudge and Gazzy had found the remote for the little TV in the room, and were now arguing quietly over what to watch. Iggy had found a magazine and was flipping through the pages, feeling the colors in the pictures. Angel was content to sit in my lap and watch for any sign of movement from Fang. Occasionally I would squeeze his fingers to see if I could get a reaction. Nothing. Yet.

This continued for the rest of the day and into the night. I'm guessing Angel made the doctors and nurses ignore us when they came in to check on Fang's progress, since nobody asked us to leave. I didn't even try to stop her mind controlling this time.

We found some extra blankets and pillows in the small closet in the room and settled down for the night. Angel and Nudge fell asleep on the couch, and Gazzy curled up in the other faux leather chair in the room. Iggy ended up on the floor, but he couldn't exactly fit anywhere else. I stayed in the chair next to the bed, and fell asleep with my head half on the mattress, still holding Fang's hand. The only sound in the room apart from out breathing was the dull beeping of the heart monitor...

* * *

**Fang POV**

I was floating in nothingness, but there was an odd sense that I should be in pain, but wasn't. In this nothingness, it felt like there was a weight pressed against me, almost suffocating. I struggled against it, but it wouldn't lift. I couldn't feel my body, but I could hear noises that didn't fit in this nothingness. Somewhere close by there was an annoying beeping sound. I could also hear steady breathing close by my ear. The weight was lifting, and as it did I could feel feeling coming back to my body. The first thing I felt was warmth in my hand, and my fingers twitched. The next thing I felt was pain in my head and in my back. I became aware of a light overhead, and my eyelids twitched. I slowly opened them, and even though the light was low, it burned my eyes. I closed them again.

Where was I? The last thing I remembered was…Max. I remember watching as the rock fell toward her while she just stood there and stared at me. I slammed into her to knock her out of the way, then there was an incredible amount of pain. Then nothing.

Where was the flock? Where was Max? Where was I?

Then the smell hit my nose. That horrible antiseptic, floor cleaner, hand soap smell. It almost made me gag. There were only two possible places in the world I could be: the School, or a hospital. Hopefully the second one.

I slowly lifted my eyelids again, letting my eyes adjust to the light. My head felt like it was in a vice with spikes in the clamps. Ow.

I was staring up at the ceiling of the room I was in. I glanced around the rest of the room.

I saw Nudge and Angel curled up asleep on the sofa in the room. Gazzy was also asleep in a chair by the couch. All I could see of Iggy was his feet on the floor. I assumed he was sleeping, too.

Something by my right arm moved, and something clenched my fingers tighter. I looked down and saw Max curled up in a chair next to the bed I was laying on, her head resting on the mattress, and her hand curled gently around mine.

She looked so beautiful when she was asleep. During the day tension and anxiety were etched into her face, but even so she was still beautiful. As she slept, all that melted right off her face. God, I love her.

I tried to rub her fingers with my thumb, but it was hard to move my fingers. All I could do was gently squeeze her fingers.

She stirred a little, then slowly lifted her head. Her eyes focused groggily on my face. I tried to smile, but my head and face hurt trying. She blinked.

"Fang?" she whispered.

"Hey," I croaked. It was barely audible and slurred a little, but I think she heard. Her eyes widened, then she beamed, her eyes all teary. She gently threw her arm across me, and pressed her face against my stomach. It hurt a little and I winced.

"Oh, Fang!" she cried softly.

"It's okay, Max," I whispered. I laid my hand on her back and rubbed the spot between her wings. She lifted her head to stare at me, and leaned back in the chair. Tears were still streaming from her eyes as she gazed at me sadly.

"No, Fang," she said. "It's not."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. My voice was still only a whisper.

She bit her lip, then took my hand again.

"Can you feel your legs, Fang?" she asked. That was a weird question. I tried to move my legs, but I couldn't. In fact, I couldn't feel anything below my waist. My eyes widened and I just stared at her, still confused.

"No," I said.

A pained look came across her face.

"Max, what happened to me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm while I was horrified.

* * *

**Wow that was long. Keep in mind I don't know crap about medical stuff so don't get critical about it. **

**There's your guys's Xmas present!!**

**Fly free and watch out for Santa Claus!**

**-C**


	12. Please don't kill me!

**-sneaks into view-**

**PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!!!!!!! I know it's been 3 months and I am SOOO SORRY!!!!!!!! UBER UBER UBER UBER WRITER'S BLOCK!! I blame it on that. Also I DO have a life outside of the internet, so I was busy with that. For example: lineguard, and 3 to 3 and half hour musical practices. But hopefully I will have the next chapter up this weekend. **

**Anyhoo, more important news: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XDDDDDDDDD!!!**

**Please don't hunt me down and kill me!**


	13. Chapter 10

**I know you all hate me now but I don't care. My school just put on our musical production of _Fiddler on the Roof _which I was in. Rehearsals lasted you don't even wanna know how long for the past 2 and half months. Anyway here it is!**

**Max POV**

I was so glad that Fang had woken up, but this might be the last chance I had to talk to him, if the nurse was right. I almost started sobbing right then and there as that realization hit me.

"Max, what happened?" he asked again. His voice sounded so frail and strained, and every time he moved it looked like a challenge for him.

If he hadn't pushed me out of the way, I would have been in the hospital bed, paralyzed. Or most likely dead. At least Fang would've been okay.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

"After the rock fell on you, the flock found us and we got you to the hospital as fast as we could." I paused. "The doctor said both your legs and your pelvis were broken, and a couple vertebrae were cracked." I watched as his eyes widened.

"That's all?" he said, sounding a little relieved. I felt so guilty that I had to tell him even worse things that happened to him. I shook my head.

"No," I said, tears starting to leak from my eyes. "Fang, I'm so sorry. They also said if you'll recover the best shape you'll be in is paralyzed."

His eyes widened even wider, and pain covered his face. He closed his eyes. I saw a single tear escape from his closed eyelid. For a second I was shocked beyond belief. Fang _never _cried. _Ever_. I felt so horrible having to tell him this, I wanted to die. Or to be in his place at least.

I reached up with one hand and wiped away the tear with my thumb. I kept my hand resting on his cheek until he opened his eyes again. He gazed at me sadly for a few seconds.

"You said 'if'," he said quietly. He had noticed the key word. I hated that little word with a passion right now. I nodded.

"She also said that you got massive head trauma," I said, staring at his face, watching for emotions. "She said your systems are slowly shutting down, and the trauma is affecting your mobility. She said they're trying to figure out a way to stop it." I watched only sadness paint his face. I saw no hope in his eyes. For once, I could tell what he was thinking. He knew he was dying, and he saw that there was no way to prevent it. The look in his eyes was enough to tear my once strong heart in two.

I leaned over and softly kissed his cheek. My lips did that weird tingling thing again. The sadness in his eyes shifted more towards happiness.

"Does that make all your boo-boos feel better?" I teased, trying to alleviate the tension.

He smirked, which looked more like a grimace. God, I wish I could stop his suffering.

"Not all of them," he said, pretending to be annoyed at me like I'd forgotten something important. I raised one eyebrow and smiled. I leaned over again, then kissed him, this time on the lips. Brief though it was, I could feel all the love he felt for me radiating from him. It felt like eating chocolate chip cookies, my mom's of course, while doing a freefall from fifteen thousand feet in the air. My heart lurched painfully, remembering this might be the last time we ever talked or were in each other's presence. I put my hand of the back of his head, and held him there for what felt like a long time, but was very short. Sparks ignited in my blood. We pulled apart, and we just stared at each other, wishing the moment would never end.

**Over to Fang's POV!**

**Fang POV**

I stared into Max's fathomless brown eyes, feeling almost happy despite the current situation. No matter how bad things sucked, I always felt better having Max beside me, supporting me.

But of course our special moment had to end. The sheets on the couch in the corner shifted, and we looked over to see a wild mass of brown hair rising from under the blankets. Nudge slowly shifted so she was sitting, then rubbed her eyes. Not even realizing both me and Max were staring at her, she stood up and shuffled around Iggy and across the room, headed for the bathroom. Halfway there she stopped, turned around, and gazed at us groggily. Her eyes lit up.

"Fang!" she squealed, leaping over Iggy and flinging herself onto the bed. She clung to my waist and started crying big fat tears. For a moment I choked up. I never knew Nudge cared so much.

Her outburst seemed to wake the other sleepers because two blonde heads and a strawberry blonde head rose from their resting positions and swiveled to the source of the noise. Instantly, Angel's eyes popped open and she burst from under her blanket and landed beside the bed and clung to my arm, since my waist was taken. She started to cry softly, and Max soothed both her and Nudge's hair as they cried. The Gasman and Iggy were slower to realize what was going on, but finally Gazzy got up and stood by the bed, tears running down his face. Iggy rose and stood beside him, tears in his eyes instead of on his face, and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he asked, too relieved to be serious. Max didn't even snap at him for cursing.

"Nice to see you awake, too," I croaked. I looked over at Max, whose eyes were glassy with fresh tears. By this time Nudge and Angel had stopped crying and released their hold on me to sit on the edge of the bed. They looked at me with such concern, I wondered Could I really mean that much to them?

"Yes Fang, you do," Angel said. She must've heard me thinking. I tried to smile, but it was hard. She smiled sweetly at me, then her gaze shifted to Max. I glanced at Max and saw her nod at Angel. Suddenly a nurse came through the door and froze when she saw me. The Flock's eyes shifted to her. She turned around and leaned out the doorway and yelled at the receptionist, "Get Dr. Hansing in room two thirty seven!"

She turned around again and shooed away the Flock from the bed, a confused look on her face. Angel must be doing something to her mind. A doctor with a bald head and a smug sense of superiority entered the room. He started looking me over and doing the stuff that doctors do. This continued for another hour, and by the time he was done with his inspection and left I was struggling to keep my eyes open. By now the Flock had fallen asleep again. Only Max was still awake. She came over and sat by the side of my bed again.

"Go back to sleep," she said as she kissed my cheek. "Just make sure you wake up," she whispered. The corners of my mouth flicked up in a smile for a second, then I was out…

* * *

**L'Chaim! ^^**

**-C**


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